Holiday Survival Guide 2021

Ah, the holidays are among us! What an amazing time of year.

I've already spent some time in the forest and found the perfect Christmas tree (thanks to a few friends for the help) and made a wild wreath to hang over the fireplace. The decorations are up and I'm enjoying my morning coffee with coconut eggnog by a fire surrounded by Christmas cheer.  Even though I don't love the set up and clean up that comes with holiday decorating, this is the time I love it most. And it really is worth the hassle!

Although we do consider this the “most wonderful time of year”, many of us become more stressed than we have been in the previous 11 months.

We typically have more to do and lots of money to spend.  We find ourselves committing to so many things and wondering why we feel exhausted by the end.

And this over commitment leads to us dropping our health and fitness routines.  Now let’s get one thing straight...

Body composition changes are generally hard to achieve for most folks over the holiday. 

Give yourself some grace this time of year!  You don’t need to be hitting every single workout or depriving yourself.  

Not gaining body fat, or not losing lean tissue can be considered a WIN over the holidays!

Instead, you can reshift your focus and adjust your goals after the holidays are over and you aren't surrounded by temptations, added stress and a busier than usual schedule. 

With that being said, I’d like to share with you some of my favorite tips for surviving the holiday season without completely letting yourself go.

(You may find you feel so good by January 1 that you’ll be ready to hit the ground running for your next training season!)

Holiday Survival Tips
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1. Create separate "December only" goals to help you "win" over the holidays.

​Consider things like: "walk 8-10k steps daily" instead of "go to the gym" + "eat 3 cups of vegetables daily" instead of "stick to the diet" + "drink 1/2 your weight in water ounces daily" instead of "don't or minimize drinking alcohol."

​The idea here is that you’re slightly moving the goal post so that you can achieve something, rather than missing the mark and feeling lousy about it. 

2. Enjoy a nutrient dense, real food breakfast. 

Even if you generally follow time restricted feeding or intermittent fasting throughout the year, setting a goal to eat a healthy breakfast over the holidays can help ensure you're getting in a nutritious meal at least 1x daily.

The holidays are generally packed with extras (gift shopping, wrapping, holiday gatherings, etc) and it can be easy to 'get too busy to eat a healthy lunch.' Starting off your day with a veggie omelet, protein packed green smoothie, or even a breakfast salad can give your body the energy it needs to tackle the day. Trust me, it's NEVER a good idea to go shopping when you're hungry!

3. Add a few healthy snacks to your grocery shopping list so you have a few quick grab and go items on hand for those busy days.

Some of my favorites are:

• Made Good Granola Bars
• Epic Bars
• Macadamia Nuts or Other Mixed Nuts
• Trail Mix
• Apple with Artisana Organic Raw Nut Butter Packets​

4. Keep the indulgent foods out of your house.

​It's TOTALLY FINE to indulge in festive foods from time to time over the holidays, but having them available in your house will create a temptation that even the strongest willed human cannot resist. Fill your house with healthy options and indulge outside of your house instead! 

5. Think of simple ways to cut back on the sugar when you have control to do so.  Some examples include:

• Love enjoying eggnog in your morning coffee during this time of year? Instead of swapping your usual (hopefully not sugary) creamer for eggnog, consider 3/4 creamer and 1/4 eggnog instead. 
• Search for alternatives to your favorite holiday recipes.  There are so many options out there with less sugar but no less taste! For example, my family has swapped a traditional bread stuffing for this all vegetable version instead and I promise, it tastes the same! Plus it’s WAAAY less carbs and WAAAY more nutrient dense! 
  
• Minimize the fancy drinks! One holiday cocktail is more than enough. If you must have another drink, go for a clear alcohol with some club soda.  Your body will thank you!
  
• If you’re picking up a Christmas inspired Latte, ask them for less pumps of the syrup.  You’ll get all the flavor without the excess sweetness!
  

6. Change up your workout schedule.

If the craziness of this time of year is making It hard to hit your workouts, change your schedule until time opens up again. Yes, of course, we all have the “same 24 hours” but that doesn’t mean you have to be doing something during every single one. 

Exercise is beneficial, but it’s also a stressor.  And I don’t think you want more stress.  But since you also don’t want to lose your fitness all together, I suggest making your routine easier to achieve.  Maybe instead of 5 days/week, you commit to 3. 

Or, instead of 60-90 minute workouts, you commit to 30 min!  Maybe getting to the gym is hard, why not try an at-home workout? Just jump on good ol’ Mr Google and search “30 minute home workout”. 

There are so many to choose from, like:

• Fitness Blender
• Yoga with Adriene
• Fit by Larie (I LOVE her TRX workouts!)

​Remember, it’s only a few weeks so don’t worry if exercise takes a back seat.  Just do your best to keep moving, as often as time permits.

7. Keep it simple. 

​Now is not the time to get overly complicated with your meal plans.  Plus, if you’re eating out a lot, you likely don’t need to be doing huge food hauls. 

Sit down and come up with 3-5 easy meals you and your family enjoy.  Then go shopping, get the ingredients (plus any of the above go-to snacks!) and eat on repeat for the next few weeks.  You will be grateful for simplicity mixed in with the indulgent.

8. Fill your plate with protein and produce, first! 

Wondering how you’ll survive all of the fancy meals?

First off, it’s just food.  It’s meant to be enjoyed so go ahead and enjoy it! But, if you’re wanting to enjoy mindfully, I suggest adding protein and produce to your plate before anything else! 

Go for 1-2 servings of whatever the choice of protein is (ie - meats, poultry, fish, etc) and then 1-2 servings of veggies!  Whatever room is left on your plate can be used for whatever other food is there that you’d like to have. (Unsure of portion sizes, check out this awesome infographic from Precision Nutrition. Follow the row that says “improve health and maintain body weight” for this time of year!).

9. SLEEP!

Getting as much sleep as you can will be so helpful during this time of year.  Sleep helps your body recover and gives you the energy you need to tackle each day.  Being sleep deprived can lead to less energy to fit that 30 minute workout in and more carb cravings (and not the good carbs!). 

​If you need to leave an event early to ensure you get enough sleep, don’t feel guilty doing so.  Need to sleep in? Go ahead and skip that morning workout and instead aim for a 30 minute walk or workout midday!  Sleep is THAT important!

In Summary
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The moral of the story is that you don’t need to be chasing your biggest health and fitness goals right now.  If you’re able to keep hitting your workouts and sticking to your existing plan, bravo! If not, don’t let that derail you completely.

Keep in mind the saying: “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good”.

It’s only a few short weeks until 2022! We’ve all been under immense stress these last 20 or so months.  Focus on the merry and bright and have as much fun as you can.

The New Year will be waiting for you!